[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4890-S4891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
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ENERGY AND WATER, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND
VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume legislative session.
The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message
from the House of Representatives:
Resolved, That the House disagree to the amendment of the
Senate to the bill (H.R. 5895) entitled ``An Act making
appropriations for energy and water development and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and
for other purposes.'', and ask a conference with the Senate
on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses thereon.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Compound Motion
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move that the Senate insist on its
amendment, agree to the request of the House for a conference, and the
Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
Motion to Instruct
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I have a motion to instruct conferees at
the desk, and I ask for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Louisiana [Mr. Cassidy] moves that the
managers on the part of the Senate at the conference on the
disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the Senate amendment
to the bill H.R. 5895 be instructed to insist that the final
conference report include provisions that have the effect of
extending the National Flood Insurance Program, and the
authority of the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to issue notes and obligations with respect
to that Program, through January 31, 2019.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Motion to Instruct
Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I have a motion to instruct conferees at
the desk, and I ask for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Tennessee [Mr. Corker] moves that the
managers on the part of the Senate at the conference on the
disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the Senate amendment
to the bill H.R. 5895 be instructed to include language
providing a role for Congress in making a determination under
section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C.
1862).
Motion to Instruct
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are now 2 minutes, equally divided, on
the Cassidy motion to instruct.
The Senator from Louisiana.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, very briefly, this is a 6-month
reauthorization of current law, which will allow continued work for a
longer term reauthorization. It protects American families and the U.S.
taxpayers from the consequences of a lapsed program during peak
hurricane season.
I urge its adoption.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back.
The question is on agreeing to the motion to instruct.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Arizona (Mr. McCain).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Ernst). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 94, nays 5, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 150 Leg.]
YEAS--94
Alexander
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Duckworth
Durbin
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Harris
Hassan
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Hoeven
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Leahy
Manchin
Markey
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Paul
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott
Shaheen
Shelby
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--5
Barrasso
Enzi
Flake
Lankford
Lee
NOT VOTING--1
McCain
The motion was agreed to.
change of vote
Mr. LEE. Mr. President, on rollcall vote No. 150, I voted yea. It was
my intention to vote nay. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be
permitted to change my vote since it will not affect the outcome of the
vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(The foregoing tally has been changed to reflect the above order.)
Motion to Instruct
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are now 2 minutes, equally divided, on
the Corker motion to instruct.
The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. CORKER. Madam President, I rise to speak in favor of this motion,
where Congress would have an appropriate role in section 232 of the
Trade Act as invoked on national security grounds. This is something
that anybody who supports the Senate playing its proper role should
support.
I thank Senator Toomey, Senator Flake, and 15 other Senators who
supported this overall effort. This is a baby step in a good direction
for the U.S. Senate and for our country.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. BROWN. Madam President, you all know where I stand on section 232
steel tariffs. I strongly support them because thousands of
steelworkers across the country have lost their jobs due to Chinese
steel overcapacity. Tough trade enforcement against
[[Page S4891]]
China cheating has long been overdue. These tariffs are a tool to bring
China to the table and to get long-term structural changes to support
American jobs.
My colleagues know I strongly oppose the Corker-Toomey legislation,
which would undo China's tariffs, let China off the hook, and gut the
section 232 status. That is why I stood on the floor 2 weeks ago to
block that.
What we are considering today is different. With this motion to
instruct, the Senate will reaffirm that it has a role in section 232
determinations. Of course, we should. That is why I have talked
regularly with Secretary Ross and Ambassador Lighthizer throughout this
process.
I will vote for the motion to instruct not because I think it makes
sense to consider trade policy on an appropriations bill that has
nothing to do with tariffs but because, of course, Congress should have
a role in 232 determinations. It should have a role in all trade
policies. I have been saying that for years. I am glad my colleagues
finally agree.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time is expired.
Mr. BROWN. I ask unanimous consent for 10 seconds.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BROWN. Let me be clear. Today's vote is not a vote for
undermining the trade agenda. It is not a vote to rescind steel
tariffs. I will do everything in my power to defeat any efforts to do
that.
I yield.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. TOOMEY. Madam President, if there is any time remaining, let me
just stress that this vote is a vote to move in the direction of
restoring to Congress our constitutional authority and, ultimately, if
we do that right, to revisiting the misuse of the section 232
provisions of our trade law, which is applying inappropriate tariffs on
steel and aluminum from our allies and close friends.
I urge my colleagues to vote yes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to
instruct.
Mr. LEE. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Arizona (Mr. McCain).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tillis). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 88, nays 11, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 151 Leg.]
YEAS--88
Alexander
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Duckworth
Durbin
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Flake
Gardner
Gillibrand
Grassley
Harris
Hassan
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Hirono
Hoeven
Isakson
Johnson
Jones
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Lee
Manchin
Markey
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Paul
Peters
Portman
Reed
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sanders
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Shelby
Smith
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--11
Barrasso
Capito
Crapo
Enzi
Graham
Heller
Hyde-Smith
Inhofe
Perdue
Risch
Scott
NOT VOTING--1
McCain
The motion was agreed to.
The Presiding Officer appointed Mr. Shelby, Mr. Alexander, Mr.
Boozman, Mr. Daines, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr.
Schatz, and Mr. Murphy conferees on the part of the Senate.
____________________